Author Notes: The good recipes get passed along from friend to friend like a game of telephone, with each cook adding their own twist until the last version is barely distinguishable from the first. This corn salad is one of those. My recipe was inspired by my friend Sandra, who brought it to a BBQ one day, where it was love at first bite. Her recipe was inspired by our friend Chris, and who knows where it truly began but it always ends with an empty bowl. Simple summer goodness. When I told Sandra she should enter the recipe in this contest, she said that I should enter my version instead, so here we are....Pass it on. - Ms. T —Ms. T

Food52 Review: Over the years, we've met and loved many a corn salad. The cool, sweet crunch practically screams summer, and the variations are endless. Ms. T's version includes a technique we've never seen before: first, she has you cook down red onion in balsamic vinegar and olive oil -- as the onion pieces soften into silky, purple jewels, they simultaneously create a rich, deeply flavored dressing for the rest of the salad. Once you toss this luscious mass with crisp pancetta cubes, fresh cilantro and barely cooked kernels of corn, you've got a corn salad that breaks new ground. We couldn't stop eating it, right from the bowl. - A&M —The Editors

Serves 6

6 ears of fresh corn

6 slices pancetta

1 large red onion, peeled and diced

4tablespoons olive oil

2tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2teaspoons sugar

1/4cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook the corn on the cob in a large pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain hot water and plunge corn into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain corn and set aside to cool completely.

Dice pancetta and cook in a heavy skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

Pour off most of the pancetta fat from skillet, leaving a little goodness left in the pan for cooking your onions. Add oil, onions, vinegar, sugar, and dash of salt to pan, and cook over medium-low heat. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are caramelized and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Cut corn kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl. Add onion mixture and cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and if it seems dry, add a little more olive oil.

If you’re making this ahead of time, cover and put it in the fridge. Take salad out about 3o minutes before serving to take chill off. Stir in ccrispy pancetta just before serving.

amanda and merrill were right about this one, i totally found myself sneaking bites of it in the kitchen before i took it out to my guests. its addictive and you cannot stop. thanks for sharing this great idea Ms. T!

My husband loves corn but I do not. The caramelized onions were the ingredient that drew me in. Happily, very happily, we were both delighted with the result and will prepare this dish all summer long.

I made this for dinner last night. It was wonderful! I cut the recipe by one third because I had 4 ears of corn. It was addictive, a great combination of flavors, and the crisp pancettawas the star of the dish. I think this combination could be made with either raw corn or grilled corn as well.

And I just made another batch for a neighbor who has the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene, so I made a substitution of parsley for her. It was good - I prefer using cilantro - but at least makes this recipe accessible to the "no cilantro" crowd.

Fresh marjoram would be perfect in this, if you don't want to use cilantro. It's corn's best friend, though many people don't realize it. Use just the tiniest amount at first, adding more to taste, especially if you're picking your marjoram leaves off of a plant that's been in full sunlight/heat all day; the flavor of raw marjoram can be intense, especially under those circumstances. I was planning on making this tonight, and have just decided to try it this way! ;o)

As well as the chill, a little preserved lemon is delicious. It was an accidental combination when I mixed this salad with the Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa (also on Food 52) which has harissa paste and preserved lemon. Btw. I love this corn salad. Thanks Ms T.

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments. I'm truly touched and honored to get such wonderful feedback from the cooks whose recipes have made me drool for the last several months on Food 52!

BTW, does anyone know what tool they used to cut the corn off the cob in the photo slide show? I think I need one of those! I was planning to post a question on Food Pickle to see who had tips for removing the kernels without cutting them into juicy little bits. Corn pudding is lovely, but not when you are trying to make corn salad!

Looks like the Oxo Good Grips Corn Stripper -- check it out on Amazon to see several pictures of it. I have an older Oxo corn stripper (also on see-able on Amazon) that I do not have much luck with. I used my Kuhn Rikon stripper the other day to pretty good effect, but the one in the Food52 slide show looks like it takes off more rows at a time.

How thick are the slices of pancetta ? Looking at the picture I would guess about 1/4 inch.
Also, I am wondering if this would be a good way to use left over corn on the cob. You could boil extra and chill it until the next day. Thanks!

I have a question about the recipe "Corn Salad with Cilantro & Caramelized Onions" from Ms. T. I made the salad and the flavor was very good, however, between the regular balsamic vinegar, the addition of sugar to the carmelizing, and cooking them for 20 minutes at the suggested heat level, my onions were dark brown and no longer red. How did yours stay red/purple? Should I have used white balsamic? Thanks.

I have a question about step 5 on the recipe "Corn Salad with Cilantro & Caramelized Onions" from Ms. T. It says:
"If you’re making this ahead of time, cover and put it in the fridge. Take salad out about 3o minutes before serving to take chill off. Stir in ccrispy pancetta just before serving.
"If I'm making this a day ahead, do i still cook the pancetta but hold it out till serving or do i cook the pancetta right before serving?